I am ready for football.
Last week was merely an appetizer as I watched Luke’s junior high team beat West Franklin and Northern Heights varsity beat Olpe.
Once all the boys’ teams are on the field, I’ll be watching four games a week. Add in Emporia State home games, and I’ll be in the stands for five games.
I can’t wait.
I remember the days when the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburg Steelers were the only teams on TV. That was back when we got four channels over the antenna and long before ESPN was a vision in someone’s mind. Of course, the Chiefs were on, too, as the local team. As a Kansas City native, my mom enjoyed watching Len Dawson play.
But I would find myself parked in front of the TV on Sundays watching Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann. Yep, I’m old.
I have to say, though, that it’s even more fun to be in the stands watching players whom I know off the field.
Aaron plays for a North Lyon County team in the Emporia Recreation Commission’s tackle league. Aaron’s teammates are current classmates as well as boys from Admire and Reading that will be in junior high and high school with him.
Luke’s junior high team also combines boys from Americus, Admire and Reading — the three North Lyon County middle schools. He’s played with most of them since fifth grade, and it’s been fun to watch them grow up and improve. They’ll be with each other now through high school.
Then there’s Alex in his freshman year at Northern Heights giving me an excuse to attend two games a week. He watches from the sidelines and learns during varsity games, but should get some playing time during junior varsity. That means I get to watch Heights play on Fridays and Mondays.
Again, I’m watching boys in Alex’s class who have played football together since sixth grade and I’m seeing others with whom he’s played basketball and baseball during junior high and the summers.
Alex will be one of the first to tell you that I don’t understand the game as much as I think I do. I agree after listening to Alex and his brothers talk a foreign language. I’ve always understood the quarterback position, but don’t even try to explain a nickleback to me. And why aren’t there any dimes or pennies in football if we’re into the loose change analogies?
Still, I have learned nearly all of the ref’s penalty signals over the years, so I’m not completely clueless. My lack of knowledge doesn’t keep me from enjoying the experience. I have to admit that the social time is part of the fun. While Greg and many of the dads enjoy prowling the sidelines, I’m in the stands catching up with the other moms. In between plays, quarters and halves, we’re discovering that we need to sew names on the back of high school jerseys, figuring out who’s going to feed the junior high team before games and arranging carpools to practices for the younger team.
At ESU games, though, I get to just sit back and enjoy the games with my boys. Greg works during the games and joins us in the second half.
Alex used to sit beside me and answer my stupid questions. Now, Luke takes that spot because it’s still a novelty to show off what he knows. Aaron, meanwhile, just rolls his eyes.
But they can’t diminish my enthusiasm and love for the game. I can only hope that they enjoy the games as much as I do and when they’ve grown and moved away, they’ll return to attend football games with their mom.
If not, I’ll go by myself.